fingers in the soup..

[ibcrewin]

I use tongs to pull my prints out of the soup but at some point I'm grabbing the corner of one print or another. How bad is the skin exposure to these things? I'm guessing it's not the worse thing in the world but you can never be too sure!

I'm not toning it's just ilford paper developer, kodak indicator stop, and ilford universal fixer.

 

[drewbarb]

Lots of us here have been doing it for years with no ill effects worse than dry skin (from all the wet/dry/wet/dry my hands go through). Just be careful with your fingers on paper coming out of the dev. Even painfully dry skin leaves oils on the paper that can stain prints. Sometimes purple or blue finger prints will appear immediately on fiber paper- other times they won't show up until the paper is dry. But if you wait to touch the paper with your fingers until after it's been rinsed in stop bath- or even plain water- this is much less likely to happen.

For this reason, I try to always use tongs when moving prints from the developer into the stop; if I have to touch a print in the developer with my hands, I try to only touch an edge that will be trimmed off. Beyond this, I don't worry too much about getting my hands in the soup.

 

[Stelios]

Normally it should be avoided. I guess too much can't be good. Not sure how much is too much. Chemicals are toxic. I have dipped my fingers quite a bit in those chemicals and I'm sure people in here have done it way more than I have and we are all still ok (or are we? 😛)
As long as you don't rub your eyes afterwards!

 

[Stelios]

Beat me to it! 😛

 

[Peter Irwin]

I use tongs to pull my prints out of the soup but at some point I'm grabbing the corner of one print or another. How bad is the skin exposure to these things? I'm guessing it's not the worse thing in the world but you can never be too sure!

I'm not toning it's just ilford paper developer, kodak indicator stop, and ilford universal fixer.

Some people have nasty skin allergies to developer. It is possible that exposure to developer may cause you to become allergic even if you aren't allergic now. Even withou allergies, photographic solutions can be a little hard on your skin.

Tongs are also a good idea to reduce the risk of cross contamination (getting fixer in the developer etc.) If you do use your fingers, you have to wash them all the time.

When I did darkroom stuff as a child (about age 9-12) I used my fingers all the time because I didn't know any better. So far as I can tell it never did me any harm.

When I returned to the hobby in my 30s, I made the decision to use tongs. I decided that the risk of developing a developer allergy wasn't worth it.

I woudn't worry too much about the occasional use of fingers. Just remember to rinse your hands well right afterwards.

Peter.

 

[graywolf]

I usually put a surgical glove on one hand and use the tong in the other. That gives me the option of using my fingers while keeping one hand dry. But I am and old guy, when I was younger I did not worry about it.

It is real easy to crinkle the paper with tongs, and there is a burning in technique where you rub the area to increase development with the heat of your fingers. Hence the glove.

 

[nikon_sam]

I've been using tongs for the last 5 or more years before that I used my fingers without any problems...
I went to the tongs only to keep from having to dry my hands all the time...

On a special note try to keep the Fixer out of your nose at all costs...it's not a fun experience...

 

[Tom A]

Nikon sam, this begs the question - how did you get it in your nose in the first place????
I have done a lot of strange things in the darkroom - but snorting fixer is not one of them!

 

[Tim Gray]

While it might not be bad, it's certainly not good. I use tongs. If I was working with prints big enough, I'd use gloves. They are cheap, so why not use them?

At the same time, if a little bit of dev gets on me, I don't freak out. I wash it off. Of course I'm not dealing with some of the nastier chemicals at this point...

 

[nikon_sam]

Nikon sam, this begs the question - how did you get it in your nose in the first place????
I have done a lot of strange things in the darkroom - but snorting fixer is not one of them!

Tom...

It was a long time ago and "No" I wasn't trying to snort it...
It was back when I used my fingers to develop prints...after fixing a print my nose got a really bad tickle in it and I went to wipe my nose to prevent me from going into a sneezing fit (very sensitive nose)...
Well, some of the Fixer got in there and it was not fun...it took a bit to rinse it out but even after rinsing I could tell there was still some left...again not a fun event but well remembered...
I have always had a very touchy nose and I can have a sneezing fit from the smallest tickle or tap...:bang:😀😱

 

[Stelios]

I've had developer splashed to my eyes (a few drops). Luckily had a friend doctor with me at the time, so no harm was done. Don't try it at home though.

 

[dfoo]

Watch some videos of Ansel Adams at work... I always use tongs myself though 🙂

 

[Melvin]

I use tongs for proofs. But for presentation prints I tend to use my fingers. Then I have "alkali hand/ acid hand" so as not to contaminate the chems. I'm always rinsing my hands with fresh water, though.

 

[Freakscene]

Get an MSDS for your chemistry and follow it. The recommendations in there are based on sound risk assessment and scientific knowledge of the effects of thechemicals you're using. Just a few potential effects: metol is highly allengenic by contact; hydroquinone, pyrogallol, catechol and other phenol based developing agents may be carconogenic, definitely cause ochronosis and have other direct toxic effects; used fixer carries silver, which can act as a toxic metal in high enough doses. These are to be avoided. No need for paranoia, just be careful and take sensible precautions.

Marty

 

[Tom A]

Any of the Pyro based developers should be treated with a great deal of respect. The scary statistic is that 0.7 grams of dry Pyrogallic Acid has a LD50 rating. That means if you inhale or swallow it - you stand a 50-50% of surviving. Also mix it with a mask on! Once in suspension in water it is safe - it is the dust from the dry chemicals that can cause problem!

Metol and/or Hydroquinone tend to be the culprits with allergic reactions - Sodium Sulphite less so and Sodium Carbonate even less. To be on the safe side - dont inhale the stuff, if you are using your fingers in the developing tray or fixer trays - dont lick them (and the stuff taste bad too!).
You dont have to be paranoid as stated. Unless you are doing it commercially, the exposure to these chemicals is quite short. Rinse your hands frequently and once through with a printing session - wash them carefully and put on some skin-lotion to "soften" them.

Tongs are fine, but you have less control over the pressure you excert and you can mar the finish of the print - and, of course, use sep. tongs for develop, stop, fix. I find that with larger prints 16x20 and up - fingers are the only way. The tongs dont grip well enough and as said, if you apply too much pressure - you can get marks. I also keep a hose running in the sink with fresh water and rinse off between trays.

 

[ibcrewin]

Great! Thanks everyone!

 

[shadowfox]

Tongs or not, a box of Nitrile gloves is a must in my darkroom.

It leaves no fingerprints on prints, it protects you from unnecessary skin exposure to chemicals, and easier to dry than your hands (when you're in a hurry to print another negative).

I buy bulk, a couple of boxes (150 gloves per box) in the storage, one box in the kitchen for my wife whose hands are sensitive to soap, and another box for me in the darkroom.

 

[MartinP]

Shadowfox beat me to it with the nitrile gloves tip. You can find them in pharmacies as nitrile examination-gloves. I started using them for RA4 chemistry (used in total darkness, so tongs are tricky), but with black-and-white prints I have found tongs to be no problem up to (at least) 12"x16" (40cm) prints - so long as you don't try to be too quick with picking up the wet paper, as that is when there are slips and scrapes. Most normal darkroom chemicals are not instantly lethal though, so sensible caution wins out over developing prints in a glove-box (a-la nuclear materials handling, you've seen the pics).

With gloves, because you can't feel any moisture it is sometimes tricky to wash and dry ready for the next print without any residues left behind. Kitchen towel, or workshop-sized paper towel, used only once is probably better than a cotton towel, which will quickly become contaminated to some extent.

 

[dfoo]

I get my Nitrile gloves at Costco... Less than $10 for a box of 100.

 

[sepiareverb]

I'm a nitrile glove user as well- tho I use tongs for developer-stop-fix, and the gloves for hypo-clear and toning. I tend to batch process prints after the fix, and tongs make that very frustrating.

I always wear gloves when running film.